How to be a muslim ?

You should know that accepting Islam destroys all sins which come before it , as a new convert your record is clean, and it is as if you was just born from your mother’s womb ,One should try as much as possible to keep his records clean and strive to do as many good deeds as possible

All one needs to do is pronounce the “Shahada”, the testimony of faith, without further delay.

The “Shahada” is the first and most important of the five pillars of Islam. and say with your tongue supported by a steady faith in your heart I testify:

“I testify that there is no true god (deity) but God (Allah), and that Muhammad is a Messenger (Prophet) of God.”

Now you are a Muslim , my deep sincere congratulations!

The meaning of this phrase is:

*that you testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah – glory be to him – so you have to give up worshipping all that other than Allah , And as a result of this phrase you have to - Believe that , this universe – including all what is inside – has a creator , that is only Allah who has no partner and who is above the Heavens the all-knowing about his creation , sees his creatures , hears them , and who deserves being worshipped

* He has not created his creatures in vain but to worship him and will resurrect his creatures in the day of resurrection and will reward them for good deeds and punish them for sins in this life

* To believe that Allah has angels different from humans can not be seen by us , Allah has created them from light and assigned special deeds to them , and from them Gaprel to whom Allah has assigned informing revelation to prophets .

* To believe that Allah- glory be to him- has created Adam from dust , who is the first member of mankind and his offspring to test them and within years of times people went astray and were tempted by devils to worship idols , so Allah has sent messenger who are members of mankind informing them the message of Allah – glory be to him – that is worshipping Allah only without any other partner in worship , and following messengers of Allah , and abandoning worshipping any other than Allah , and as an example of these messengers " Noh , Abraham , Moses , and Jesus Christ " the last one of them is the prophet Muhammad - peace be upon him - the seal of all prophets .

* The faith of any worshipper , only will be accepted if he believes in all prophets and loves them all .

* To believe that there is a day , in which all people come back to Allah – glory be to him – to be rewarded for good deeds in this life or punished for sins

* To believe that all what happens in this life is a result of Allah's destiny and can't be out of Allah's destiny , and Allah has written it down before it happens – due to his comprehensive knowledge – and each worshipper is to work and do his utmost , not to be lazy or abstain from good deeds using destiny as an Excuse.

The pillars of Islam (five pillars ):

1) The Testimony of Faith:

The testimony of faith is saying with conviction, “La ilâha illa Allah, Muhammadun rasoolu Allah.” This saying means, “There is no true god but God (Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God.” The first part, “There is no true god but God,” means that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone, and that God has neither partner nor son. This testimony of faith is called the 'Shahada', a simple formula which should be said with conviction in order to convert to Islam. The testimony of faith is the most important pillar of Islam.

2) Prayer:

Muslims perform five prayers a day. Each prayer does not take more than a few minutes to perform. Prayer in Islam is a direct link between the worshipper and God. There are no intermediaries between God and the worshipper. In prayer, a person feels inner happiness, peace, and comfort, and that God is pleased with him or her.

Prayers are performed at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and night. A Muslim may pray almost anywhere is assumed to be clean such as in fields, offices, factories, or universities…

3) Alms Giving; Zakât, (obligatory support of the Needy):

All things belong to God, and wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. The original meaning of the word zakat is both ‘purification’ and ‘growth.’ Giving zakat means ‘giving a specified percentage on certain properties to certain classes of needy people.

Our possessions are purified by setting aside a small portion for those in need, and it is alike the pruning of plants for this cutting let back balances and encourages new growth.

A person may also give as much as he or she pleases as voluntary alms or charity.

4)Fasting the Month of Ramadan:

Every year in the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn until sundown, abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations. Although the fast is beneficial to health, it is regarded principally as a method of spiritual self-purification. By cutting oneself off the worldly comforts even if it is performed for a short time.

5)The Pilgrimage to Makkah:

The annual pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah is an obligation once during a lifetime for those who are physically and financially able to perform it.